Need Help Identifying 1c Franklin. Scott #8 Or #8A?

Hello. New to this forum and excited to learn more about the hobby! This is a stamp I acquired in a small collection several years ago. I am definitely not a stamp expert so was hoping someone could help me identify it. I think it might be a scott 8 or a scott 8a but I may also be way off. Is there a way to tell with the top cut off the way it is? any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wide break at bottom .. Super wide! Is that double transfer on right?

99R2? Could be your lucky day! See what the playing experts say.

"Plating"

Oh wow! Can't believe I never noticed the double transfer! Thanks for pointing that out!

Definitely a 99R2 (with a greatly lightened pen cancel).

Scott #8.

Usually when you see margins like on this stamp you should suspect trimmed perfs. I see no direct evidence that is the case with this stamp. The fact that would actually reduce the catalogue value of the stamp is not proof of the stamp being a genuine imperf.

Hello Flick and welcome. Yep, I agree this is Scott #8, position 99R2. Not the best example due to the margins, but take a look in your Scott catalog for the listing under #8.

Definitely an imperforate Type III position 99R2; the double transfer at right is very clear. This represents the only Type III from plate 2 (all others are from plate 4) and it is considered by many to have the widest breaks of any Type IIIs, so therefore is a very desirable item in any condition. Although most collectors, dealers, auction houses, and expertization agencies refer to this as "Scott 8, position 99R2", that is an oxymoron. The Scott U.S. Specialized catalog is clear on this point. Scott 8 is Type III from plate 4 (many positions) and Scott (8) is type III from plate 2 (only one position). No one stamp can be from both plate 4 and plate 2, so there can be no such animal as "8, position 99R2"! So this should properly be known as either the major number (8) or "Imperforate Type III, position 99R2". But whatever you call it, this is a special stamp so congratulations!! Now go look for a perforated example of this. (8) is very uncommon but (21) is extremely rare with only 12 known examples in the Siegel census.

Hello flick. Wow, score. Definitely a Scott #8 99R2 with lightened pen cancel.

I should add that in addition to the 12 examples of (21) in the Siegel census, Sinclair2010 has discovered a 13th example.

Another clarification regarding (21): in the Siegel census, there are 14 off-cover examples of (21)including those contained in multiples and 3 on-cover examples. I was just counting the single off-cover examples above.

Flick, from a valuation standpoint, I would put your stamp in the 1000$-1500$ price range at auction in its present condition.
Congrats. Keep it in a safe spot!

How do you guys accurately plate the stamp to 99r2? Are you using a particular reference/guide?

rismoney: the standard published reference is Mortimer Neinken's The United States One Cent Stamp of 1851 to 1861, published by the US Philatelic Classics Society (1972) and available as a free pdf from the Society website at http://www.uspcs.org/resource-cente...nic-library/ (see page 184 for a diagram of 99R2). Another indispensable resource is Richard Doporto's One-Cent Plating Image Archive at http://www.slingshotvenus.com/Frank...hv_Main.html but unfortunately 99R2 is not pictured here.

the huge break at the bottom was the first clue, but the huge double transfer at right(see arrows) and other plating marks (see arrows) are consistent with 99R2.
Perhaps Sinclair can give some hints on how he plates.